Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region).

ABSTRACT: Background/Objectives: The eastern periphery of the Slavic expansion (the Volga-Oka region) is the most promising region for reconstructing interactions between Slavic and pre-Slavic populations of the East European Plain. Unlike most pre-Slavic tribes, its autochthonous population practiced inhumation instead of cremation, leaving us with some ancient DNA for analysis. Methods: The region's modern and ancient Y-chromosome gene pools are dominated by the haplogroup R1a: its frequency reaches 56% in Ryazan Russians (n = 302) and 44% in the Finnic peoples of Mordovia (n = 633). This encouraged us to analyze its Y-SNPs and Y-STRs. Results: Using 2 independent methods of phylogeny analysis, we identified 10 informative Y-STR clusters within R1a, dating back 1600-2900 YBP.

SUBMITTER: Adamov D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12562464 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature